Parent-led education group backs Stitt's plan for Equal Opportunity Scholarship expansion

Parent-Led Education Group Backs Gov. Stitt's Plan for Equal Opportunity Scholarship Expansion

OKLAHOMA CITY – ChoiceMatters, an Oklahoma City-based parent organizing group, today praised Governor Kevin Stitt for proposing the expansion of the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit. The governor’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget, released this morning, includes the following section:

Raise the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit cap from $5 million to $30 million. Hundreds of Oklahoma’s low-income students are benefiting greatly from the success of this scholarship program to attend the school of their parents’ choice. We believe the time has come to provide this opportunity, funded by generous Oklahomans, to even more students.

Tax credit scholarships are used to support low-income Oklahomans who choose to send their children to private schools. At some schools that cater specifically to underserved communities, such as Tulsa’s Crossover Prep and Cristo Rey OKC, every student receives support from Equal Opportunity Scholarships. Additionally, the tax credit program is used to fund innovative educational programs in public schools, including STEM courses, online or blended learning, and robotics classes.

ChoiceMatters Executive Director Robert Ruiz said the continued success of both the private and public school programs funded by Equal Opportunity Scholarships relies on the expansion of the current $5 million cap.

“Governor Stitt’s leadership on this issue is of tremendous importance to families who rely on Equal Opportunity Scholarships to help fund a great education for their children,” said ChoiceMatters Executive Director Robert Ruiz. “We hope our Legislature will stand with our governor as he works to ensure that all parents have the ability to find a school that is the right fit for their kids.”

ChoiceMatters’ mission is to inform and organize parents so they can exercise their innate power to improve education for their children, schools and/or school systems. Its vision is that one day, all children will have access to a quality education that best fits their needs and allows them to reach their full potential regardless of where they are born or the income of their parents.